Chitral Times Report
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has initiated actions to effectively stop illegal construction activities in order to preserve agricultural land across the province. So far 65 illegal housing societies have been sealed, six demolished, 235 issued notices whereas FIRs have been lodged against 196 across the province. This was told in a meeting held here the other day with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan in the chair to devise an effective strategy to stop illegal construction activities on agricultural land. Besides provincial ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Akbar Ayub and Amjad Ali Khan, Chief Secretary Dr. Kazim Niaz, the meeting was attended by administrative secretaries and other high ups of concerned departments.
Briefing the meeting about the steps taken so far to stop illegal construction activities on agricultural lands, it was informed that necessary instructions had been issued to district administrations and Revenue Department to impose ban on mutation of land in unapproved/illegal housing societies whereas the concerned departments have been asked not to provide utility connections to such housing societies in the province.
It was further informed that for the awareness of the general masses, details of all the legal and illegal housing societies had been uploaded on the websites of Peshawar Development Authority and concerned Tehsil Municipal Administrations adding that besides other legal actions, offices of illegal housing societies are also being sealed. On this occasion, the Chief Minister directed the authorities concerned to identify the responsible quarters of concerned departments and take action against them for their negligence with regard to the already established illegal housing societies.
The meeting was also briefed about the progress on framing rules to stop construction activities on agricultural land and it was informed that initial draft of rules have been prepared, recommendations of the cabinet Committee had also been incorporated into it and the same would be presented in the upcoming meeting of the cabinet for formal approval.
